8 Best Hair Oils -- And Why You Need One

Using a hair oil will completely change your hair care routine forever -- no exaggeration. Here's everything you need to know about the best hair oils out there

Conventional wisdom dictates that hair and oil go together about as well as water and oil. As in, not at all. Even the words "hair" and "oil" conjure a greasy, un-showered, un-stylable mess, that most of us work very hard to avoid.

What then, is the deal with hair oils, those products that are intended to be deliberately applied to your hair? Who on earth would encourage such a slippery, slimy practice?

The experts, that's who. Pros say that it's high time we ditched our ill-conceived notions about hair oils, because there's a new generation of lighter, multi-faceted products that do anything but render your hair into an oil slick. "Hair oils have come a long way," says Kattia Solano, owner of Butterfly Studio Salon in New York City.

The best hair oils are multitasking miracle products that can do the job of your leave-in conditioner, styling cream, frizz serum, and shine spray in one. "They're styling products more than they are treatment products," she says.

When you're using a hair oil to style your hair, Solano suggests applying it from ends to mid-length to avoid the oily scalp pitfall. She also stresses the importance of starting with a small amount until you know exactly how much your hair needs -- you can always apply more. Once you get the hang of it -- and toss the seven other hair care products that are taking up valuable bathroom real estate -- you'll wonder how you ever lived without hair oil in the first place.

While new hair oil products are hitting shelves every day, these are the eight (L'Oreal, Kerastase, Ojon and Josie Maran, to name a few) best hair oils that caught our eye.

Best hair oil for: Long hair with a tendency to tangle, as well as hair oil newbies.

This blend of argan and almond oils is super light. While this hair oil is touted as a detangler, you can also use it as a leave-in conditioner, shine spray, and frizz serum. Shake the bottle to blend the two oils, and mist. We especially love this hair oil for finishing a sleek ponytail.

Thanks to its antioxidant properties, Marula oil, which comes from the Marula tree in Africa, is a rising-star ingredient in the beauty industry -- it's positioned to oust argan from the top spot. And this hair oil is loaded with it. The Marula protects hair from damage; plus, there's honey for shine, and chamomile to soothe scalp irritation. Even though Motions products are generally designed for coarse hair types, if you use a small amount of hair oil this one will work even on fine hair.

Best hair oil for: Those who use heat styling daily. Use it before blow drying or flat ironing as a heat protectant that imparts smoothness, shine and a to-die-for flowery scent.

We try not to be swayed by pretty packaging -- waiting, instead, to judge products on how they perform. However, when these beautiful bottles of Mythic Oil hit our desks, we couldn't help but fall in love with the pretty Moroccan designs. Fortunately, you can judge these hair oil bottles by their covers -- they work! There are four versions: Rich (for thick hair), Colour Glow (for colored hair, obviously), Nourishing (light enough for everyone), and Reinforcing Milk (for detangling).

If frizz and static are your main concerns this time of year, you'll love this hair oil. It's a blend of argan, Marula, and white grape seed, and it can be used on damp or dry hair. We suggest rubbing a few drops between your palms after you heat style, and smoothing it over flyaways and ends. Your hair will look great even after you pull off your wool hat.

Kérastase kicked off the hair oil craze earlier this year with their Elixir Ultime, a multitasking serum that can be used as a treatment before you shampoo, a leave-in conditioner before you style, or as a shine enhancer on dry hair. It's a blend of four different oils -- maize, Pracaxi, camellia, and argan -- which have antioxidant properties, as well as smoothing and hydrating benefits. Women -- us included -- swooned.

Even though the original is plenty amazing, Kérastase just launched three new versions, each for specific needs. First, there's Elixir Ultime Rose Millénaire -- an oil so light it feels like water -- for fine hair. Then, there's Elixir Ultime Moringa Immortel, which has bonus calcium, iron, and magnesium for damaged hair. And finally, there's Elixir Ultime The Imperial, which has Imperial Tea for extra UV protection for color-treated hair. We sense even more swooning happening soon.

Best hair oil for: Hair that is overly processed. Use a tiny bit of this on the tips of your strands to bring your damaged ends back to life.

Don't be fooled by the mesmerizing layers of color -- this is a serious hair oil. The red oil is from the Ojon nut, and it's high in antioxidants. The clear is Tahitian Monoi oil (coconut infused with Tiare flower), which smells like tropical heaven and protects the hair. And the yellow is Kukui oil, an impressive hydrator. All you need is a few drops of this hair oil -- use it wet or dry -- for impressive results. (Shiny, soft, frizz-free hair -- you know the drill.)

We especially love this hair oil for its texture -- it's more like a skin care serum than traditional oil, which makes it perfect for the oil-phobic or those with fine hair. You can apply this hair oil to damp hair for heat protection or dry hair to disguise fried ends, and it's hard to overdo it.

Best hair oil for: Any hair type that needs a boost in overall health. This will add shine and softness, decrease frizz, and, for those of you who regularly bleach your hair, you'll actually be able to run your fingers through it.

If you're still stuck on the idea that hair oils can only be used as treatment products, then at least opt for this amazing new version from Josie Maran. It warms up when you apply it thanks to an exothermic chemical reaction that takes place when it mixes with water -- and you can use it on damaged ends, a dry scalp or all over. If your hair is prone to breakage, this hair oil is just what it needs -- tests show that it strengthens hair by four times.

Thanks for the info. However, the list has too many products that are mixed with silicones, mineral oil and/or petrolatum. Since silicones and mineral oil and petrolatum block the other 'good' oils from penetrating the hair shaft and they are so cheap to manufacture I can't see paying the prices listed for these "elixirs". The Moroccan Oil line has the same blend as these "elixirs" so I wonder whether it would be considered a nice product as well. As others have stated, it is probably more cost-effective and product wise to go straight to the source and pick up pure maruli, argan, tamanu, coconut, jojoba or extra virgin olive oil, all cold-pressed of course.

Love the descriptions, but additional help would be whether product is OTC (some are obvious) or salon-purchase. Some beautiful and beneficial oils here and I've used quite a few ... wonderful for scratchy, over-processed (ouch), frizzy (tropical weather), sunshiny, but none-the-less, beautiful hair !!!

These all sound really nice. I have super fine hair, but these sound like enough even for me! I've recently begun using body oils, so I might have to venture into hair oils (I'm still afraid of face oils...)